


The Capsule

by Superellysan



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 18:59:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9285611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superellysan/pseuds/Superellysan
Summary: X and Zero come across a Light capsule on a mission one day.What happens next will shock you.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this fic and also I'm sorry.

X and Zero dashed through the dimly lit corridors, felling any enemy who came into their line of sight. They’d been assigned here by HQ earlier in the day to do clean up detail. It was supposed to be a quick mission, yet here they were, two hours later, and there were still enemies swarming throughout the place. Every time they thought they were done, they turned a corner and more enemies were there. Zero felt indifferent about the situation, but he noticed that X was starting to tire, his breaths slightly labored.

After a while, they finally came across a room that didn’t have any enemies in it. All that stood in it was a capsule. As they stepped into the room, the capsule activated, and a hologram display of Dr. Light flickered inside of it.  
“X,” the hologram said, a warm and gentle smile on its face, same as always.  
“Dad,” X replied, before turning to Zero and saying “Zero, this is-”  
“Dr. Light.” Zero smiled. “We’ve met.”  
The hologram nodded towards Zero. “It is good to see you again, Zero.”  
“Likewise” Zero replied, before turning towards X. “X, you should rest here for a bit and see what you’re old man has for you. I’ll go on up ahead.”  
“You sure?” X asked.  
“Positive. Just radio me when you’re ready to go again and I’ll wait for you to catch up, okay?”  
X sighed in relief. “I’ll do that, then."  
“Great! See you in a bit!” Zero said cheerily to X. He waved to the hologram before dashing off to the other side of the room and back out into the corridors.

X watched as his friend left, then turned towards the capsule.  
“X,” the hologram said as it began to explain what upgrade he would get, “inside this capsule you will find an armor upgrade that will boost your durability and endurance, as well as help with energy distribution. It is not a separate piece of armor, but an upgrade to your basic armor that will last indefinitely.”  
X let out a small gasp. “But…. Didn’t you say you would never give me an upgrade for my regular armor in the hopes that one day, when all these wars were over, I could go back to being who I was before they started? Why change your mind now?”  
“I’ve realized that I don’t know when all this fighting will end, but I do know that I want you to be safe. That is why I am giving to you this upgrade. It is not a weapon to be used against others, but a shield to protect you. I cherish you too much to lose you.”  
X was taken slightly aback. “D-dad…” He sniffled. “I… thank you…”  
“No matter what hardships await you, always know that I love you, my son. Now, step into the capsule.”  
X smiled, tears beginning to form in the corner of his eyes. He heard the hologram speak as he walked into the capsule, ready for the upgrade.  
“X, I am so pr-proud of-f y-youuuuuuuuuu….”  


X stopped inside the capsule, the warm feeling in him fading as he heard the hologram’s voice stutter and slur, dropping in pitch until cutting out altogether. He jumped as he heard the capsule seal itself behind him. “D-dad?” X exhaled, a sense of dread gripping his heart. “What is this? Dad? …Dr. Light?”  
“You naïve fool” an old, raspy voice spat out, its words breathy and dripping with disgust.  
“Who…?” X quietly asked, before screaming as his systems were attacked by an immense wave of pain.  
“Both of you, all of you, so gullible! So trusting! Really, you are Thomas’ son.”  
“Who… GUH!” X gasped, clutching at his chest. His core felt like it was being melted to slag inside of him. “Who…. are… you… ngh!”  
“Me? I am the great Dr. Wily!” the voice exclaimed proudly as X curled in on himself in pain. “Before you ask, yes, we have met before.”  
“Why…” X panted, struggling to stay standing. “Why… are you… AUGH!” X fell to one knee as the pain in his systems intensified. He could tell that whatever was causing this pain was destroying his energy balancing systems. He began to route what little power he could into his buster.  
“Why? I thought that would be obvious” Wily sneered maliciously. “It’s because _I hate you_.”

X lifted his buster towards the glass of the capsule and tried to fire, only to have the charge he was building explode inside the barrel instead, taking half his arm with it. He screamed and clutched at the stump that used to be his buster, shaking as he felt burning hot coolant and blood pour through his fingers onto the floor of the capsule. His systems flashed, telling him that his auto-repair had been shut down. He looked to the glass, before throwing his full weight at it, hoping to break it.  
“The capsule is impenetrable, by the way” Wily stated, pride evident in his voice. “Though go ahead and keep flailing at it uselessly. It’s amusing to watch.”

X pushed himself into a half standing position as he leaned against the inside of the capsule. He let go of his wounded arm, raising his red soaked hand weakly up to his communicator on his helmet. He tried to contact Zero for help, but received static in response. Options running thin, he slammed his hand against the glass and screamed for help as loud as he could.  
“Zero! Zero, help me! ZE- AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”  
X screamed in agony as the pain intensified more. Every part of him felt like it was burning. It hurt to breathe.  
Wily laughed. “This capsule is completely sound proofed, and all signals around it are jammed. _He_ won’t be able to save you. Not this time.”

X’s heart was consumed with despair, but he continued to cry out his friend’s name in vain as his systems all began to fail, one by one. Soon enough, he no longer had the strength to stand, and he crashed to his knees, his body still leaning against the capsule wall.

Wily’s cruel laughter echoed all around him, drowning him.

* * *

 

Zero was about three rooms ahead, slicing down rogue mechanaloids and the odd maverick, when it suddenly occurred to him that X hadn’t radioed in with him yet. Zero thought to himself “A capsule wouldn’t take this much time, and X wouldn’t rest for this long, not with so many enemies around…” Zero lifted his free hand to the communicator on his helmet and signaled X.  
“X, are you…”  
Zero flinched as static screeched from X’s side of the line. He immediately turned around, worry for his friend seeping into him, only to find that some rogue mechanaloids had swarmed in behind him, purposefully blocking his way. He sliced his way through them all, worry turning to dread as he was met with more resistance, and dread becoming fear when he saw mavericks blocking the doorway to the room where the capsule stood. The mavericks noticed him, and all simultaneously raised their guns towards him. He gripped his saber tightly in his hand and charged them, not caring how many hits he took in the process. About 15 seconds and three buster wounds later, Zero finally stood back in the room he had left X in. He scanned the room for his friend.

His eyes landed on the capsule, and his blood turned to ice.

He could see X trapped inside of it, slumped weakly against the glass, his body faintly trembling, his eyes closed. Coolant and blood dripped from the broken shards and sparking wires where his buster should have been. His face was deathly pale, his body steaming. He didn’t look like he was breathing.

“X!!!” Zero cried as he ran to the capsule. He lifted his blade to slice the capsule in two, but upon reaching the capsule the handle of his saber exploded in his hands. He screamed as the explosion burned him and the shards of his now broken saber cut into his palms. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the pain in his hands and began to pound his fists angrily and desperately against the glass that held his dying friend.  
“X!” Zero cried, his hands throbbing with each impact they made. “X!! Answer me, please! _X!!!_ ”  


X’s eyes fluttered open as he faintly felt the glass he was slumped against vibrate. He slowly looked up, body still coursing with pain, to see Zero pounding on the glass.  
“Z-zero…” X groaned.

Zero couldn’t hear X, but he saw him move, saw his lips part, and that was enough to assure him that his friend was still alive, that there was still time to save him. He began pounding on the glass harder, his fingers digging into the cuts on his hands as he shouted “X, I’ll save you, just hang on!!”

Suddenly, both of them could hear a cruel and raspy laugh echo throughout the room.  
“There’s nothing you can do to save him, boy. _NOTHING._ ”  
Zero paled. He knew that voice. It was the voice from his nightmares. The old man…  
“Who are you!?” Zero demanded, his voice shaky with long ingrained terror. “What do you want!?”  
The old man snarled “ _I want him to die._ ”  
X shuddered and gasped for air as a new wave hit him, and Zero saw his eyes widen in pain as he slid further down the capsule wall.  
Zero fiercely pounded against the glass, his blood now coating the outside of it the same way X’s blood coated the floor and wall within. He screamed.  
“ _WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?!?!?_ ”  
The voice stayed silent for a moment before coldly replying “I despise him, him and all of Light’s children. I want all the remnants of that damned Dr. Light to disappear forever.” The voice growled in frustration as Zero continued to beat his fists uselessly against the capsule. “I’m only having to do this myself because of you….”  
Zero flinched, and saw X look up at him, confusion shining through the agony in his eyes.  
“I can’t believe you....” the voice continued angrily. “I built you to be my finest master piece, my ultimate creation, and in the end you failed to do the one task I created you for!”  
Zero’s entire frame shook as he gazed into his friend’s eyes.  
“YOU DIDN’T KILL HIM!!!”  
X’s eyes widened in realization. Those beautiful green eyes that once looked at him in adoration, those eyes that had sparkled innocently sometime in the past. He’d seen many things in those eyes. Sorrow, determination, anger, joy. Now, he thought he saw something new.

  
_Betrayal._

Zero’s body shivered with grief as he placed his palms against the glass. Every nightmare he had ever had came rushing back to him all at once.  
“X….” he muttered, lost in his memories, in his fear. “I would never…”

Zero was broken from his trance by a loud thud that came from the capsule. He saw that X was violently spasming, his mouth open, his eyes screaming in pain.  
“X!” Zero cried, as he frantically beat on the capsule. “X!! _X!!!!_ ”  
The voice lamented at the display.  
“Why, OH WHY, do I only create failures? First Bass, and now you? I built you to destroy this pathetic whelp and you befriended him instead! PROTECTED HIM!! _DIED_ FOR _HIM_!!!”  
Zero watched as X fell heavily to the floor, writhing in agony. He could see X’s blood boil and steam around him.  
“PLEASE, DON’T DO THIS!!!” he pleaded, banging helplessly against the capsule. “JUST LET HIM GO, I’M BEGGING YOU!!!”  
“It’s no use” the voice snarled over Zero’s pleading. “Finally, I’ll be rid of this blue nuisance. _Finally, the last remnants of Light will be purged from this earth!!!”_  
Zero watched in agony as his friend laid dying. He could already see him begin to still.  
_“_ no… NO!! _NO, PLEASE!!! X!!!!!!”_ Zero cried out in vain. __  
  


X could hear the voice’s laugh echo all around him as the last of his strength began to fade. He weakly pushed his hand up against the glass of the capsule, straight across from where his friend’s hands still banged uselessly against it. Tears fell from his eyes as he spoke to Zero, knowing that his friend wouldn’t hear him.  
“I’m sorry… Zero… Please… Don’t blame… yourself… It’s not… your… fault…”  
Gathering what little of his strength remained, X forced his eyes open so he could see his friend one last time. He saw his friend’s bloodied hands pounding against the glass behind his own. Saw his terrified, pained, grief filled, and tortured expression. Saw that he was screaming.

Saw the tears that poured down his best friend’s face.

X smiled sadly, and uttered his last words  
“Goodbye… my friend…”  
With that, his eyes glazed over and his body fell still, never to move again.

Zero's fists struck against the glass harder and harder. In time, though, he noticed that his friend had stopped moving altogether. He’d gone still.  
“…..X?” He slammed his palms against the capsule once. “X?” Twice. “X!?” Three times. “No…… X, move! Do something!! Anything!!! Please!!! ……X….”  
Zero panted heavily as he stared at his friend’s body, as if him staring at it long enough would somehow reverse what his mind was telling him. Would somehow reverse X being… being….

  
_“X!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”_  
Zero screamed out in pain and rage and agony and sorrow. He screamed until his voice gave out, and even then he did not stop. He screamed for the loss of his friend, for the cruel fate that had befallen him, for not being able to do a thing to save him, for being forced to watch as his best friend’s life was painfully and brutally ripped from his body.  
He screamed as tears poured down his face, and above all the pain and sorrow one thought prevailed.  
“X is dead,”

“and it’s all my fault.”

He could still hear the old man’s laugh ringing out above him.

* * *

 

Hours passed before Zero was finally too physically exhausted to keep screaming. By now the voice had long since vanished, and he noticed that the glass that had surrounded his friend was gone. Zero dragged his weary body up the side of the capsule toward his deceased friend. He grabbed X’s body with his bloody hands and lifted it up into his arms.

“I’m sorry…” Zero sobbed. “I’m…”

He clutched his friend’s corpse to his chest and cried.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me explain how this fic came to be.  
> One day, I thought to myself "X doesn't seem to ever question the safety of stepping into a Light capsule, so why has none of the enemies he's faced ever tried to trap him in a fake one?"  
> And one of the answers that came to mind was "Because it would work" and for obvious story reasons the games couldn't have X be dead via trap capsule.  
> And then this happened.  
> (Great second (technically third) fic there, Elly)  
> But anyway, I do still hope you enjoyed reading this to some extent, and I would love to hear feedback via the comments or maybe a kudos? Maybe?  
> I promise the next fic will be fluff okay I PROMISE  
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!  
> Until next time!


End file.
